Best movies like D.O.A.
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Dexter Cornell, an English Professor becomes embroiled in a series of murders involving people around him. Dexter has good reason to want to find the murderer but hasn't much time. He finds help and comfort from one of his student, Sydney Fuller.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: neo noir, suspense, suspenseful, mystical, suspense thriller, psychological, tense, serious, realistic, gloomy
Best tv shows and movies like D.O.A. (1988):
Similar in 79%
Uncovered (1994)
Plot Summary:
While restoring a fifteenth-century painting Julia reveals a hidden Latin phrase. A series of murders begin to rock her small world of art experts, patrons and restorers, and she finds that the mystery of the painting is interwoven with the mystery of the deaths around her.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK, Spain, France
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: psychological, serious, suspenseful, tense, atmospheric, suspense, sexy, crying, independent film, detective
Similar in 83%
Final Move (2006)
Plot Summary:
The LA police are baffled: someone is killing people who have been found innocent of violent crimes. At the crime scenes, DNA evidence and clues linked to chess point to a suspect who's dead, recently executed for murders with a similar M.O. The cops call on Dan Marlowe, an ex-cop with psychic gifts, in an asylum after the trauma of the initial investigation. His wife wants him to say no; her brother is his former partner, who leans on Dan to help. Dan's ex-lover, an FBI agent, is also on the case, and behind the scenes is Myron, Dan's chess partner at the asylum. The game turns more deadly when Dan and family become the target. Did the cops initially get the wrong man?.
IMDB Rating: 3.7
IMDB Votes: 467
Genere: Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, serious, realistic, captivating, suspense, disturbing, fast, psychological thriller, psycho film
Similar in 84%
Fear (1990)
Plot Summary:
Psychic Ally Sheedy helps police solve murders by mentally linking with the murderer. Then she discovers a murderer with the same talent - who wants to share the fear of his victims with her!.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: slasher, cult classic, scary, psychological, tense, bleak, serious, suspenseful, cult film
Similar in 84%
Killjoy (1981)
Plot Summary:
Story of a young woman's murder and the people who become involved with it.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 449
Genere: Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: crime thriller, tense, serious, suspenseful, soap opera
Similar in 79%
Mike's Murder (1984)
Plot Summary:
Betty has a crush on her tennis instructor Mike. He promises to call her for a date, but never does – she doesn’t know he sells drugs on the side. After botching a deal on someone else’s turf, Mike has to disappear for a while. He contacts Betty – then he’s killed before they can meet. Betty tries to find out what happened, leading her straight into a hornet's nest of vice.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: neo noir, depressing, rough, mind bending, bleak, serious, realistic, suspenseful, gloomy, erotic
Similar in 79%
A Killer Upstairs (2005)
Plot Summary:
A woman investigates when her teenage son is arrested for his married lover's murder.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 578
Genere: Mystery, Thriller
Country: Canada
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, realistic, suspenseful, suspense, mind bending, bleak, serious
Similar in 82%
Mercy (2000)
Plot Summary:
Detective Catherine Palmer (Ellen Barkin) is on the trail of an elusive serial killer. During her investigation she meets Vickie Kittrie (Peta Wilson), who belongs to an exclusive club of women who engage in secret sessions of bondage and S&M. Matters become even more complicated when Palmer finds herself attracted to Kittrie, leading to a brief lesbian encounter. Palmer soon learns that each victim belonged to this club of prominent, sexually experimental women. In order to catch the killer, Catherine must trust Vickie to guide her through the dangerous and illicit underground.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: psychological, rough, serious, erotic, psychological thriller, independent film, tense, realistic, suspenseful, experimental
Similar in 80%
The Only Witness (2002)
Plot Summary:
After witnessing a brutal murder, a little girl is quickly surrounded by a group of law-enforcement professionals and a psychologist.
IMDB Rating: 4.6
IMDB Votes: 283
Genere: Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, realistic, suspenseful, independent film, bleak
Similar in 84%
The Reckoning (2014)
Plot Summary:
When a detective is called in to investigate the roadside execution of his partner, he discovers at the crime scene a data card from a video camera. The card contains footage shot by two runaway teenagers who are making a documentary about the drug related death of a sibling. The detective retraces the teen's journey and soon begins to uncover a trail of the dead that leads all the way back to police headquarters.
IMDB Rating: 5.0
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Australia
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: serious, tense, realistic, suspenseful, suspense, bleak
Similar in 84%
Toe Tags (2003)
Plot Summary:
The high rent district of Valley Creek apartments, seems to be a magnet for beautiful people....those who can afford to live there. But the rent has just gone up and it is costing residents their lives.
IMDB Rating: 3.0
IMDB Votes: 133
Genere: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 68 min
Plot tags: rough, suspenseful, scary, bleak, suspense, serious, realistic, slasher
Similar in 90%
Beneath the Darkness (2011)
Plot Summary:
After watching their best friend get murdered, a group of teens struggle to expose a local hero as the vicious killer and keep from becoming his next victims.
IMDB Rating: 4.5
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: serious, scary, suspense, bleak, psychotronic, teen, realistic, suspenseful, independent film
Similar in 83%
The Naked Face (1984)
Plot Summary:
Chicago psychiatrist Judd Stevens (Roger Moore) is suspected of murdering one of his patients when the man turns up stabbed to death in the middle of the city. After repeated attempts to convince cops Rod Steiger and Elliott Gould of his innocence, Dr.Stevens is forced to go after the real villains himself, and he finds himself up against one of the city's most notorious Mafia kingpins.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, suspenseful, detective, psychological, suspense, grindhouse, cult classic, independent film, surprise ending
Similar in 84%
He Died with His Eyes Open (1985)
Plot Summary:
On Ne Meurt Que Deux Fois, a French murder mystery based upon a novel of the same name, is an unusual, involving film with excellent performances by its entire cast. Police Inspector Staniland (Michel Serrault) is investigating the death of a pianist. While conducting his investigation and looking through the victim's apartment, he meets Barbara (Charlotte Rampling), the mistress of the murder victim. Barbara confesses to the crime, but Staniland, based on his observations and experience, does not believe her. He then sets out to find the truth, with surprising results. Both Serrault and Rampling are outstanding in this well-directed, well-paced film. On Ne Meurt Que Deux Fois was also released as He Died With His Eyes Open and won the Jury Prize at the 1985 Montreal World Film Festival.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 730
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: France
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: neo noir, mind bending, serious, suspenseful, bleak, realistic, detective, gloomy, sexual, sexy
Similar in 79%
Mortal Thoughts (1991)
Plot Summary:
A loathsome man ends up dead, but it's not clear who's to blame. If ever a person got what he deserved, it's James Urbanksi, an abusive drunk who steals from his wife, Joyce, and promises her close friend Cynthia Kellogg that she'll be the next target of his rage. At a group outing, James bleeds to death after someone cuts his throat. But because he's such a terrible human being, police aren't sure which of his acquaintances decided to kill him.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: suspense, psychological, clever, tense, suspenseful, talky, stylized, neo noir, detective, noir
Similar in 87%
Fissure (2008)
Plot Summary:
Still reeling from a personal tragedy, Detective Paul Grunning is sent on a routine call to a local professor's home. When things turn deadly, he must navigate a fractured reality to solve the mystery before it's too late.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 139
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: psychological, serious, suspenseful, disturbing, suspense, scary, tense, mind bending, realistic, surprise ending
Similar in 80%
Pendulum (2001)
Plot Summary:
The nature and lure of power: in Dallas, a councilman is on trial for corruption, the D.A. is running for the US Senate, a serial killer is slashing prostitutes, and a professor is murdered. Amanda Reeve is assigned to investigate the law-school killing. She hears rumors that the dead man offered women students good grades in exchange for sex. The trail leads her to two wealthy, beautiful students whose alibi is provided by a librarian. At the same time, the cops close in on the slasher. Meanwhile, Amanda misses her former lover, next in line to become D.A., and a reporter is fired for getting close to the truth about the Senate candidate. Is a cover-up or conspiracy in the works?.
IMDB Rating: 4.5
IMDB Votes: 378
Genere: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: serious, suspenseful, realistic, exciting, tense, disturbing, independent film
Similar in 86%
The River Murders (2011)
Plot Summary:
The sins of the past are not forgotten in this chilling suspense thriller. When the first body was discovered, it seemed a coincidence. But now homicide detective Jack Verdon has cause to worry: the victims of a series of brutal sex murders are all his former girlfriends. Suspected by the FBI agent who’s taken over the case and suspended by his captain, Jack must work outside the law if he’s to find the killer, save his future and protect what’s left of his past.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: tense, rough, serious, suspenseful, neo noir, realistic
Similar in 82%
Jericho Mansions (2003)
Plot Summary:
A murder in an old apartment building leads the superintendent to suspect everyone, and eventually himself, of the murder.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Canada, UK
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, serious, suspenseful
Similar in 79%
Nemesis Game (2003)
Plot Summary:
Sara Novak is an introverted college student with a few skeletons in her closet. Shying away from classmates, she prefers to spend time with Vern, an older comic store owner who shares her passion for mind games and riddles. But when the riddles she solves lead to the deaths of those around her, she realizes the riddles are more than a simple game.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Mystery, Thriller
Country: Canada, New Zealand, UK
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, suspenseful, disturbing, psychological thriller, suspense, serious, gloomy
Similar in 83%
Terrible Angels (2012)
Plot Summary:
Detective Ben Nolan is sent to investigate the story of a convicted prostitute and known drug dealer Linda Grossel. Linda explains that she was kidnapped and held captive for weeks. As the investigation unfolds, Linda's sanity is put to question, leaving Ben to decide whether to go on with the investigation or leave Linda to the fate of the prison system.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 857
Genere: Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, suspenseful, captivating, suspense, psychological, realistic
Similar in 82%
In the Cut (2003)
Plot Summary:
Following the gruesome murder of a young woman in her neighborhood, a self-determined woman living in New York City--as if to test the limits of her own safety--propels herself into an impossibly risky sexual liaison. Soon she grows increasingly wary about the motives of every man with whom she has contact--and about her own.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 26000
Genere: Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK, Australia, France, USA
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: suspense, sexual, sexy, erotic, suspenseful, psychological thriller, detective, serious, rough, psychosexual thriller
Similar in 85%
Ordeal by Innocence (1984)
Plot Summary:
Dr. Arthur Calgary visits the Argyle family to return an address book lost some time ago by Jack Argyle, only to find out that Jack has been executed for the murder of his mother. Calgary can prove that Jack was innocent. In spite of opposition from a hostile family, he is determined to solve the crime.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, suspenseful, disturbing, grindhouse, independent film, rough, mind bending, neo noir
Similar in 85%
Murder Eleven (2013)
Plot Summary:
A serial killer is loose on the streets of Atlantic City. His ten victims are prostitutes, his methods are ruthless and yet his motives are unknown. Two embattled homicide detectives, Mayfield and Jesse, are in a race against time to catch this killer. They have just a few hours to utilize all of their resources and prevent murder number eleven. But with very few leads, very little support, and luck playing against them they are in for a long night because being wrong is unforgiving and number eleven is already gone.
IMDB Rating: 3.8
IMDB Votes: 246
Genere: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, suspenseful, suspense, slasher, mind bending, realistic
Similar in 87%
Farewell, My Lovely (1975)
Plot Summary:
Los Angeles private eye Philip Marlowe is hired by paroled convict Moose Malloy to find his girlfriend Velma, former seedy nightclub dancer.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: neo noir, detective, tense, serious, suspenseful, atmospheric, realistic, surprise ending, noir, cult classic
Similar in 90%
Skeletons in the Closet (2001)
Plot Summary:
A father suspects his son to be a murderer...or is he just paranoid and trying to cover up his own past which involves his wife being killed in a fire?.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 712
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: psychological, bleak, serious, suspenseful, realistic
Similar in 79%
The Perfect Husband: The Laci Peterson Story (2004)
Plot Summary:
Dean Cain portrays Scott Peterson, the California man accused of murdering his 8 month pregnant wife, Laci. Based on a true story.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: disturbing, tense, serious, suspenseful, bleak, emotional, realistic
Similar in 87%
The Rosary Murders (1987)
Plot Summary:
A killer of Detroit clergy confesses to a priest (Donald Sutherland), who turns sleuth because he cannot tell the police.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: disturbing, atmospheric, bleak, serious, neo noir, suspense, independent film, tense, rough, realistic
Similar in 87%
Switchback (1997)
Plot Summary:
FBI agent Dennis Quaid tries to catch a serial killer who kidnapped his son.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 15000
Genere: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: suspense, suspenseful, exciting, intense, rough, serious, realistic, clever, surprise ending, psychological
Similar in 79%
Suspect (1987)
Plot Summary:
When a Supreme Court judge commits suicide and his secretary is found murdered, all fingers point to Carl Anderson (Liam Neeson), a homeless veteran who's deaf and mute. But when public defender Kathleen Riley (Cher) is assigned to his case, she begins to believe that Anderson may actually be innocent. Juror Eddie Sanger (Dennis Quaid), a Washington lobbyist, agrees, and together the pair begins their own investigation of events.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 121 min
Plot tags: suspense, suspenseful, tense, psychological, intense, talky, clever, exciting, enigmatic, surprise ending
Similar in 82%
Horsemen (2009)
Plot Summary:
A recently widowed detective still grieving over his wife's death discovers a shocking connection between himself and the suspects in a serial killing spree linked to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: psychological, disturbing, detective, scary, suspenseful, suspense, tense, serious, surprise ending, rough